Rhaetian Railway facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Rhaetian Railway

RhB train approaching the Bernina Pass.
Overview
Native name	Rhätische Bahn, Ferrovia retica, Viafier retica
Status	operating
Owner	Rhätische Bahn AG
Locale	Canton of Grisons, Switzerland, Lombardy, Italy
Stations	102
Service
Type	Commuter and heavy rail
Services	10
Ridership	12 Million per year
History
Opened	1888
Technical
Line length	385 km (239 mi)
Character	Mountain railway
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in)
Electrification	11 kV 16+2⁄3 Hz (322 km) 1000 V DC (62 km, Bernina line)
Operating speed	100 km/h (62 mph)
Highest elevation	2,254 m (7,395 ft)

The Rhaetian Railway (often called RhB) is a special train company in Switzerland. It has the biggest network of train lines among private companies in the country. Its main office is in Chur.

The RhB runs almost all the train lines in the Swiss canton of Grisons. Only a few lines are run by other companies. The RhB started in 1888 and has grown a lot since then. Most of its lines are in Grisons, but one station, Tirano, is across the border in Italy.

The Rhaetian Railway takes people to popular places like St. Moritz and Davos. One of its famous lines, the Bernina Railway, crosses the Bernina Pass at 2,254 meters (7,395 feet) above sea level. It then goes all the way down to Tirano in Italy.

In 2008, a part of the RhB, called the Albula/Bernina area, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This means it's a very important and special place in the world. It was also the first train line ever to be photographed and put on Google Street View! The RhB also runs some old, historic trains, which is a fun way to see the sights.

History of the Rhaetian Railway
- How the Trains are Powered
Exploring the RhB Network
Train Cars and Equipment
About the Company
Train Accidents
Images for kids
See also

History of the Rhaetian Railway

Rhaetian Railway
Technical
Rack system	None
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in) metre gauge
Electrification	11 kV 16+2⁄3 Hz (322 km) 1000 V DC (62 km, Bernina line)
Maximum incline	Bernina line: 7%

The idea for the Rhaetian Railway came from a Dutch hotel owner named Willem Jan Holsboer. He owned a hotel in Davos and suggested building a train line from Landquart to Davos in 1888.

At first, Holsboer wanted to build a standard-sized railway. But the mountains were too steep and narrow. So, on June 29, 1888, they started building a narrow-gauge railway instead. This means the tracks are closer together, which is better for mountain areas. By 1890, the train line reached Davos.

In 1895, Holsboer changed his company's name to the Rhaetian Railway. This showed his plans to make the train network much bigger. By 1896, lines to Chur and Thusis were running. The Albula line was added in 1903, and the network kept growing until 1922.

How the Trains are Powered

All RhB lines use tracks that are 1,000mm wide. They are also all powered by electricity:

About 61 kilometers (38 miles) of track, like the Bernina Railway from St. Moritz to Tirano, use 1000 V DC (Direct Current) electricity.
The other 321 kilometers (199 miles) use 11 kV 16.7 Hz (Hertz) AC (Alternating Current) electricity. This includes the Chur-Arosa line and the new Vereina tunnel.

The RhB network has 84 tunnels and 383 bridges! The longest tunnel is the Vereina Tunnel, which is over 19 kilometers (11.8 miles) long. The trains can go up very steep hills. The steepest part is on the Bernina railway, with a 7% incline.

In 2022, to celebrate 175 years of Switzerland's first railway, the Rhaetian Railway ran the world's longest passenger train. It had 100 cars and was almost two kilometers (1.2 miles) long!

Exploring the RhB Network

The Rhaetian Railway has many different lines that take you through amazing Swiss landscapes.

Landquart–Davos Line

The Landquart-Davos line is the oldest part of the Rhaetian Railway. It starts at Landquart railway station. The line follows the Landquart river, crossing it three times. It also passes the beautiful Sunniberg Bridge.

Near Klosters Platz, the line goes through two tunnels. One is for the Vereina line, and the other is a special loop tunnel for the Davos line. This tunnel helps the train climb up the mountain. The line then goes through thick forests to Davos Laret.

The highest point on this line is Davos Wolfgang, at 1,625 meters (5,331 feet). From there, the line goes down along Lake Davos to Davos Dorf and ends at Davos Platz.

Ge 4/4 ^I train near Saas.

Davos–Filisur Line

This line connects Davos Platz to the Albula Railway at Filisur. It goes through wild valleys and is known for its impressive Wiesen Viaduct.

The Davos–Filisur line is 19 kilometers (12 miles) long. It has 14 tunnels, totaling 4,200 meters (13,780 feet) in length, and crosses 28 bridges. It was electrified in 1919.

Landquart–Thusis Line

This line starts in the Rhine valley and runs alongside the Swiss Federal Railways line to Chur. From Chur, it follows the Rhine river to Bonaduz. Then it enters the Domleschg Valley and follows the Posterior Rhine river to Thusis.

Glacier Express between Reichenau-Tamins and Bonaduz.

Albula Line (Thusis–St. Moritz)

This line starts in Thusis (697 meters / 2,287 feet). It follows the Albula river and crosses the famous Landwasser Viaduct before reaching Filisur (1,032 meters / 3,386 feet).

After Filisur, the line goes through its first spiral tunnel. It continues to Bergün/Bravuogn (1,373 meters / 4,505 feet). Between Bergün and Preda (1,789 meters / 5,869 feet), the line has to climb about 400 meters (1,312 feet) in a short distance. It does this with many spirals and loops, without needing a special rack system.

Then the line enters the Albula Tunnel at 1,815 meters (5,955 feet) under the Albula Pass. It comes out in the Val Bever, reaching Bever (1,708 meters / 5,604 feet). The line continues to Samedan (1,721 meters / 5,646 feet) and finally arrives at St. Moritz (1,775 meters / 5,823 feet).

Albula Tunnel Project

In 2009, engineers found that the old Albula Tunnel needed a lot of repairs. So, the RhB decided to build a brand new tunnel next to the old one. Construction started in 2015. The new tunnel opened in 2022, and the whole project, including fixing up the old tunnel, was finished in 2023.

Reichenau–Disentis/Mustér Line

This line connects the Rhaetian Railway network to another train company, the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn. It branches off from the Thusis line after a shared bridge over the Rhine river.

The line opened between 1903 and 1912 and has been electric since 1922. Instead of climbing steeply like the road, this railway slowly goes up the narrow "Ruinaulta gorge". The bridges and tunnels here are a big part of the beautiful natural scenery.

Two Glacier Expresses coupled together run through the Rhine gorge.

At Ilanz, the train line and road meet again. They then slowly and steadily climb to Disentis/Mustér. This line is used by regular passenger trains every hour and also by the famous Glacier Express several times a day. Freight trains also use this line to deliver goods.

Engadin Line (Pontresina–Scuol-Tarasp)

This line runs through the beautiful Engadin valley. It was built in two parts. The Samedan–Pontresina section opened in 1908. The main Engadin line, between Bever and Scuol-Tarasp, opened in 1913. It was the first RhB line to be electric from the very beginning.

A push-pull train typical of the Engadin line, near Zuoz.

Pontresina station is special because it can handle two different types of electric power. This is useful for trains like the Heidi Express, which need to switch power systems.

Since the Vereina Tunnel opened in 1999, the Engadin line has a direct connection to Klosters on the Landquart–Davos line.

Bernina Line (St. Moritz–Tirano)

This line starts at St. Moritz and goes towards Pontresina (1,774 meters / 5,820 feet). It climbs steadily through the valley, passing Morteratsch station (1,896 meters / 6,220 feet), where you can see the Morteratsch Glacier and Piz Bernina.

Historic train operated on the Bernina line

The line continues to Bernina Diavolezza (2,093 meters / 6,867 feet) and then to Ospizio Bernina station. This station, next to Lago Bianco, is the highest point on the entire Rhaetian Railway network at 2,253 meters (7,392 feet) above sea level. It's also the highest point for any adhesion railway (a train that uses friction between wheels and rails) in Europe!

Alp Grüm (2,091 meters / 6,860 feet) is the first station after the summit. It's located above Lago Palü with amazing views of Piz Palü and the Palü Glacier. After many sharp turns, the line reaches Cavaglia (1,693 meters / 5,554 feet). Then it goes down the valley to the Swiss-Italian town of Poschiavo (1,014 meters / 3,327 feet).

After Poschiavo, the line runs next to Lago Poschiavo. It passes through Le Prese and Miralago. The descent continues to Brusio (780 meters / 2,559 feet), where the train crosses the famous spiral bridge, the Brusio Viaduct. Finally, the line passes through Campocologno (553 meters / 1,814 feet) before entering Italy at Tirano RhB station (430 meters / 1,411 feet).

Arosa Line (Chur–Arosa)

An Arosa line train pulled by a Ge 4/4 ^II electric locomotive on Engadinstrasse in Chur.

This 25.68-kilometer (15.96 miles) railway line goes from Chur to Arosa. It opened on December 12, 1914. The railway climbs 1,155 meters (3,789 feet) from Chur to Arosa, using many tunnels, bridges, and other structures. One of the most important is the Langwieser Viaduct.

In 1942, this line became part of the RhB network. It used a different electric system until 1997, but now it uses the same 11 kV 16.7 Hz AC system as most of the RhB. The track width has always been 1,000mm.

It's mostly a single track railway, but there's a short double track section in Chur. The maximum incline is 6%, but it doesn't use a special rack system. A short part of the line runs along the streets of Chur, which is called the Chur stadtbahn (town railway). The train service on this line is popular with tourists visiting Arosa. It also carries a lot of freight.

Train Cars and Equipment

Open coaches at Alp Grüm

For daily trips, the Rhaetian Railway uses modern electric trains called Rhaetian Railway ABe 4/16 electric multiple units.

Besides the regular passenger cars and the special panoramic cars used for the Bernina Express tourist services, the RhB also has some unique cars:

Yellow open trucks with wooden benches, called vaguns panoramics, which are great for enjoying the views.
An old-fashioned art deco Pullman coach (AS 1143), which can be rented for private groups.

About the Company

The RhB's headquarters, 2011.

The RhB is owned by different groups:

The government of the Canton of Graubünden owns 51.3%.
The Swiss government owns 43.1%.
Private shareholders own 4.6%.
Local communities own 1%.

The main office of the RhB is in Chur.

Train Accidents

On August 13, 2014, a passenger train was hit by a landslide and went off the tracks near Tiefencastel on the Albula Railway. Eleven people were hurt in this accident.